This invention relates to a flexible weighted bat or the like formed from a moldable plastic resin with an integrally molded stiffening and reinforcing member and in a configuration that simulates a bat or the like of standard dimensional appearance.
In baseball and softball it is customary for the athlete to practice or warm-up with a standard bat with additional donut-shaped weights attached. One of the problems with the standard bat is that the donut-shaped weight can fly off the end of the bat, thereby creating a safety hazzard. Another drawback to this device is that there is no flex at the end of the practice swing, and the extra weight on the bat increases the danger that the muscles, tendons or ligaments of the athlete swinging the bat can be stretched, torn, or damaged, particularly at the end of the swing where the momentum of the bat is to be stopped.
Another type of known warm-up bat employs a solid handle and a hollow chamber at the outer portion of the bat, with the chamber being filled with a number of materials that will supply additional weight, thus making this device heavier than the standard bat. This style of warm-up bat also is inflexible and causes the bat to retain its momentum at the end of a practice swing. The potential for injury to the athlete is therefore still present.
Other types of devices for various sports, such as golf or tennis, employ bendable or articulated shafts for practicing swing timing, the shaft requiring correct timing for proper club movement. These devices weight about the same as a normal club and do not employ extra heavy weights for weight training. The shafts of such clubs generally are designed to buckle or bend radically when the swing is improper and not deflect resiliently.
The present invention overcomes the long standing problems attributed to the donut shaped weight customarily used with the standard bat as a warm-up device and provides a weighted warm-up device that incorporates sufficient flex to reduce injury.